Namibia Newsletter July, 1987

Namibia Newsletter July, 1987 INTERNATIONAL GATHERING CHALLENGED TO ACTION by Donald C. Flatt South West Africa Peoples' Organization (SWAPO), who spent 18 years in South African jails prior to his release in "Our problem is NOW, " said Bishop Kleopas Dumeni, in 1985; David de Beer, a South African churchworker in a keynote address at the National Conference on exile; and Lutheran Bishops James Crumley, Will Herz- Namibia. "Communism is not our problem . South Africa feld and David Preus . An unexpected guest at the con- is our problem NOW ." And his statement was backed by ference was the Rev . Tschenuwani Farisani of Venda, a report of atrocities committed by the South African South Africa, who, after four detentions by the Venda Defence Force just in the few days since he left Namibia Security Police, is currently undergoing treatment at the to attend the conference. Center for Torture Victims, in St . Paul, Minnesota . A greeting to the convention was received from the Rev. Speaking to the National Conference on Namibia, March Jesse L. Jackson of the National Rainbow Coalition, 20-22, in St . Peter, Minnesota, Bishop Dumeni was refer- closely associating that body with the Namibian cause. ing to the fact that South Africa: * has been illegally occupying Namibia for the past 21 The workshop leaders were strong in analysis, informa- years, tion and education . This writer attended workshops on * has defied U .N . Security Council Resolution 435 re- "The History of Resistance," the "Namibian Economy," quiring free elections under U .N. supervision, and "Legislative Action on Namibia, led respectively by * has imposed puppet governments under South African a Namibian social scientist, Dr . Kaire Mbuende, teaching control, in Lund, Sweden, an extremely able economist, Dr . Allan * is using Namibia as a base from which to attack the Cooper from Raleigh, North Carolina, and a talented socialist government in Angola, young woman, Jackie Wilson, from the Washington Of- * is collaborating with UNITA, an Angolan "contra" fice on Africa. movement (see other articles about UNITA in this Newsletter), In the economic field, it was made painfully clear that * is oppressing and brutalizing the whole population of Namibia is being plundered by multi-national corpora- northern Namibia with its military occupation. tions, and literally stripped of its minerals and ocean fish resources . The effect of economic sanctions was The conference at Gustavus Adolphus College was at- evaluated as primarily symbolic and psychological ; in tended by six hundred people, including more than 100 fact, South African financial interests are being rapidly Namibians, as well as the presiding bishops of the three expanded in this country. Our lecturer warned that sanc- uniting Lutheran churches in the United States . It was tions may push South Africa to declare unilateral in- jointly organized by the Lutheran Colleges Task Force dependence for Namibia under the puppet "transitional on Peace and Justice, and Gustavus, with the strong sup- government," and then use it as an open channel for port of Lutheran World Ministries, the " Free Namibia trade with the U .S. Emphasis" of the ALC, and National Namibia Concerns. In the "legislative action" workshop, the stopping of aid The conference was both inspirational and educational, for UNITA (the Angolan rebel faction) and early in- and at the same time, strongly challenging to any com- dependence for Namibia were stressed as high priorities placency that may exist concerning South Africa's dou- of the Washington Office on Africa . We were reminded ble dealing and de-stabilizing impact on the whole of that $500,000,000 U .S. tax dollars have been used in sub- southern Africa . The sympathy of the Churches, and in sidizing the Chevron Oil wells in Angola ; meanwhile, we particular, Lutherans, for the people of Namibia is give UNITA (and by implication, South Africa) underscored by the fact that nearly three-quarters of a $15,000,000 to help destroy them! Two pointed questions population of c . 1,400,000 are Christian, with the were raised in discussion : (1) Why do all our allies, as Lutheran churches accounting for nearly two-thirds of well as the United Nations and the Organization of the total. African Unity, recognize the government of Angola, while the U .S . does not? (2) Why do we demand the Among the prominent speakers were : Bishop Kleopas Cubans leave Angola, while we continue to give aid to the Dumeni of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia; threat (South Africa and UNITA) which hold the Cuban Andimba Toivo ja Toivo, Executive Secretary of the troops there? (continued) (continued from cover page) One resolution was unanimously adopted by the con- situation being given high priority. The matters for ference, and Bishop Dumeni was asked to convey it to urgent concern and action are: the U .S . Secretary of State : "We, the participants of the National Conference on Namibia at Gustavus Adolphus, 1. To re-affirm the urgent necessity for Congressional re-affirm our long-term advocacy of `Freedom for support for UNSC Resolution 435, thus soliciting sup- Namibia' as spelled out in the U .N. Security Council port for Congressman Dymally 's "Sense of the Resolution #435, calling for free, U .N. supervisied elec- House " Resolution #131. tions in Namibia . We believe that the freedom of Namibia in no way depends on the presence or absence of 2. To block an anticipated move by South Africa to Cuban troops in Angola. Now is the time for implementa- declare the present puppet ( " Multi-Party " or " transi- tion of UNSC Resolution 435 ." tional" ) government of Namibia to be the duly con- stituted government. In a final "Free Namibia Emphasis " constituency meeting it was urged that every church paper have a 3. To stop the aid to UNITA and secure the withdrawal regular "Africa Report " column, with the Namibian of all South African troops from Angola and Namibia. "It was so brief—but intense and vivid, like a When that happens, we need to remember the dream," said one long time Namibia advocate refer- courage of those who are on the "front lines " in ing to the National Conference on Namibia held at Namibia. And we need to remember the heroes who Gustavus Adolpus College in March . Never before have gone before us. in this country had so many Namibians gathered, nor so many people concerned about the plight of As we were leaving the campus, we stopped for a that country . For many of us it was "like a dream ." moment to say good-bye to David de Beer, whose concise, clear statement of the role of the church in But now the magic of those three days has faded the Namibian struggle had been the keynote somewhat and the realities of the struggle present message of the conference . At the age of 21, David themselves . Namibia, and the situation there, is still became the Administrator of the Anglican diocese largely unknown to the rest of the world, even to in Namibia, working with Bishop Colin Winter, one our next door neighbors! We have not yet succeed- of the great heroes in this story . In 1972, they had ed in making " Namibia" a " household word . " It is both been deported because of their strong witness not yet a point of debate in our political campaigns. against apartheid. There are even strong efforts to make our foreign policy more supportive of South African supplied Elected "Bishop in Exile, " Colin Winter continued terrorists (like UNITA and RENAMO) which to work tirelessly on behalf of his people in spite of undermine independence efforts throughout failing health . Bishop Winter died in 1981 at the age southern Africa. of 53 . In the closing eucharist service at Gustavus, we had sung Winter 's "Hymn to Freedom . " De We are faced with an enormous task. Be sure to Beer was remembering the first time he had heard read Donald Flatt's critique of the Gustavus Con- that hymn : "Colin sang it to me shortly after he ference—there is much to be done . Each delay had written it . He was so sick, and his voice was means death and suffering in Namibia. weak. He sang all alone . But today we sang it, hun- dreds of us, with full organ and trumpets . There Since the conference, our office and the Namibia was such power and hope . " It was, perhaps, a Concerns office at Wartburg have been swamped foretaste of the joy and celebration that will one day with phone calls from people wanting to take the come to Namibia . next step—borrowing films, organizing letter writing campaigns, setting up displays at church conventions . These efforts need to be intensified if we are to play a role in achieving the eventual independence of Namibia. The days at Gustvus were inspirational and energiz- ing. But now we are again separated from that mutual support. Again, we are a somewhat rag-tag army out in the trenches where we tend to feel isolated, alone in the struggle . KOEVOET TERRORIZES PATIENTS AT CATHOLIC HOSPITAL Members of the notorious Koevoet police unit, searching for a wounded guerrilla, terrified patients at a Roman Catholic hospital in northern Namibia by aiming guns at them through the windows . The incident took place on March 14 at Okatana, 4 kms north of Oshakati in South African occupied Ovamboland . The pursued man, thought to be a SWAPO guerrilla, was not found. A hospital nursing assistant said the Koevoet patrol had been told that a SWAPO guerrilla, wounded in a gun- fight, was on his way there for medical treatment . The shooting followed a SWAPO mortar attack on the South African military base at Ohanguena, near the Angolan border.

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